Making Baby Food

Many people think the idea of making baby food sounds a bit overwhelming. But, actually baby food is quite simple to make. By making your own baby food you can save money and ensure that your baby is eating nutritious foods.

Some of the first foods that babies typically eat include cereal and yogurt. These are great baby foods to make yourself. Babies often love yogurt with fruit, but many parents hesitate to feed fruit yogurt because it contains added sugar. However, by using plain yogurt and fruit you’ve prepared at home, you can make fruit and yogurt with no added sugar. Simply combine plain yogurt with mashed banana or pureed strawberries or peaches. You should prepare just the amount you need for one meal and discard any leftovers, as this very fresh fruit and yogurt mixture doesn’t keep well. But, if you keep fresh fruit and plain yogurt on hand, you can make a serving whenever you need it.

To make homemade baby cereal, combine ¼ cup of rolled oats with ½ cup of prepared formula or breast milk. Bring to a boil on top of the stove, and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mash a banana and combine with about ¼ cup of formula or breast milk. When the oats have cooked, combine with the banana mixture. If needed, thin the mixture further with formula or breast milk.

Vegetable baby food is also very easy to make. In most cases, you can simply boil or steam the vegetables and then puree them or put them in a food mill. Don’t season the vegetables with salt or other seasonings. Simply wash, cook and mash. That’s all there is to making simple vegetable baby food. If you like, you can combine vegetables together. Some good combinations include peas with carrots, mashed potatoes with green beans and sweet potatoes with squash.

As your baby gets older, you may want to make combination dinners, like those you find in prepared baby food. Boiled chicken works well combined with rice and peas, or with potatoes and green beans. Rice also pairs well with vegetables like green beans and carrots.

Making baby food for your child is a great way to save money and prepare meals for baby right along with the meals you’re making for the rest of the family. Baby food is quick and easy to make and helps you feel good about the fresh and natural food you’re feeding baby.